Sunday, April 17, 2011

Lucy -- Saying Goodbye and Saying Hello

by Susan Santangelo

We had to let our English cocker Lucy go last Friday. She really made the decision. Not eating. Not drinking. The last morning, though, she had the strength to go out onto our deck and, miracle of miracles on Cape Cod in April, the sun was warm and we sat together and talked about life. I'll always treasure that memory. I promised her that she'll always be in the Baby Boomer mysteries -- there are 2 English cockers in the books, Lucy and Ethel -- and on the back cover and on the bookmarks. I realized that, as an "indie" author, I'll be able to keep that promise. It's wonderful to be able to work directly with our designers and graphic artists to choose the cover art and design.

I also realized that I have a lot of trouble saying goodbye. I suppose lots of people do. The location of the Baby Boomer mysteries is a fictitious Fairfield County, CT, town called Fairport, which is a combination of Westport and Fairfield, where my family lived for many years. And the antique house that's the setting for much of the stories is my old house.

Every time I sit down to write, I re-connect myself to Fairfield and my old house. And now, in a special way, to Lucy. I think, all things considered, I'm pretty lucky.